For string quartet lovers, it’s a bounteous week, with three outstanding ensembles — one adding a star harpist. In between comes the chance to hear Stravinsky’s complete score to The Firebird, as well as a solo turn by one of the world’s preeminent pianists.
Spotlight: Danish Quartet — Wednesday, Perelman Theater
From 2021 to 2024, the Danish Quartet commissioned four composers to write pieces inspired by the late works of Schubert. Here, the Danes present the Philadelphia premiere of the first in the series: Doppelgänger, by Bent Sørensen (whose stunning St. Matthew Passion I reviewed in 2023). Sørensen chose Schubert’s String Quartet No. 15 in G Major, D. 887, his final, which will begin the program. As a sweet bonus, the evening ends with “Der Doppelgänger,” the penultimate song from Schubert’s cycle Schwanengesang, arranged for string quartet.
At 6:30 p.m., ticket holders are invited to “Echoes of Schubert,” a pre-concert lecture by Elizabeth Morgan, Associate Professor of Music at Saint Joseph’s University, where she teaches music history, piano, and chamber music.
April 2 at 7:30 p.m., Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, $30; tickets and information.
Stravinsky’s The Firebird — Thursday through Saturday, Marian Anderson Hall
Many of us love The Firebird, one of Igor Stravinsky’s most dazzling scores. But how often do you get to hear all of it? More often, we hear the 1919 Suite, which at 22 minutes is easier to include in a program, but the complete ballet is twice that long. Before that comes Bartók’s bold and virtuosic Second Violin Concerto, with the orchestra’s first associate concertmaster, Juliette Kang, as soloist. The opener is Eko-Bmijwang (As Long in Time as the River Flows) by Barbara Assiginaak, a Canadian composer of Anishinaabek heritage; Yannick gave the premiere in 2021 with the Orchestre Metropolitain. Assiginaak comments, “The traveller is reminded that all humans — the last to arrive after all other beings — are not there to dominate and control the spirit and life of nibi (water).”
April 3 at 7:30 p.m., April 4 at 2 p.m., and April 5 at 8 p.m., Marian Anderson Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, $25-200; tickets and information.
Mitsuko Uchida — Friday, Perelman Theater
Philadelphians have been lucky to hear Mitsuko Uchida several times this season, thanks to the essential Musicians from Marlboro series from the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. Now she appears by herself in a typically intriguing lineup, starting with Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 27 in E Minor, Op. 90 and Schoenberg’s Drei Klavierstücke, Op. 11. For the remainder — Kurtág’s Márta ligaturája and Schubert’s Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960 — the pianist has imagined the two works sharing a bond, requesting no applause between them.
As a preface, show up at 6:30 pm for “Schubert’s Beethoven,” a brief talk by musicologist Jeffrey Kallberg, Interim Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, for additional, invaluable perspective.
April 4 at 7:30 p.m., Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, sold out, but call 215-569-8080 or email boxoffice@pcmsconcerts.org to join the waitlist; tickets and information.
Calidore Quartet with Bridget Kibbey — Sunday, Perelman Theater
To the time-honored string quartet, adding a harp creates an entirely new garden of timbres, and it would be hard to imagine a more fluent crew than harpist Bridget Kibbey and the Calidore Quartet. Kibbey offers a solo turn in Henriette Renié’s Piéce Symphonique, and the Calidore players will offer an appropriate reply later in the evening with Beethoven’s “Harp” Quartet. All five players unite for works by Debussy, Caplet, and a premiere by Sebastian Currier, Ongoingness for Harp and String Quartet.
April 6 at 3 p.m., Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, call 215-569-8080 to purchase tickets (limited seating available); tickets and information.
Ravel and Debussy Quartets — Sunday, Haddonfield United Methodist Church
In March, classical music fans worldwide marked the 150th birthday of composer Maurice Ravel, and now musicians from the vital orchestra Symphony in C join the party. Four of the organization’s virtuosi will pair Ravel’s classic of the quartet literature with Debussy’s equally ravishing foray into the genre. The afternoon should be as comforting as meeting two old friends in a Parisian café.
April 6 at 4 p.m., Haddonfield United Methodist Church, 29 Warwick Road, Haddonfield, NJ, $12.50-$27.50; tickets and information.
